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Harvey Weinstein used threats, perks and a complicit web of agents, execs, and journalists at American Media and elsewhere as sexual harassment accusations grew — HARVEY WEINSTEIN BUILT his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between.
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@amandahess, @brianstelter, @sarahjeong, Deadline, The Wrap, @aodespair, @jonathanalter, Mediaite, Mashable, UPROXX, @adamnagourney, @katierogers, @jeremymbarr, Variety, @reformedbroker, @jbflint, @clarajeffery, @saletan, @moorehn, @jorcru, @moira, @clarajeffery, @bklynbckstretch, @mikeelk, @paulkingsley7, @lizmeriwether, @mega2e, @brianstelter, @lizmeriwether, @joepompeo, @kzaleski, IndieWire, @nazgul, The Daily Caller, AOL, @anthony, @w7voa, @countermoonbat and Axios
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12 American Media ex-employees share details of complaints about Dylan Howard's behavior and an ensuing probe, after which he left before returning a year later — NEW YORK (AP) — The top editor for the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and other major gossip publications openly described …
Discussion:
@jodikantor, @jodikantor, Mediaite, The Guardian, @nytnickc, @bluechoochoo, @jodikantor, @tripgabriel, @ursulav, @steventdennis, @debrabirnbaum, @russfischer, @jamestaranto, The Wrap, @yashar, @annelamott, Deadline, VICE, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Jezebel, @elise_holman, @lizcrokin, @erikwemple, @kbandersen, @mlcalderone, @moorehn, @hollykmichels, @drogon_dracarys, The Week and Mediawire


Sources: James Murdoch has been suggested as a potential successor to Disney CEO Bob Iger, due to retire in 2019, if Disney acquires 21st Century Fox assets — Matthew Garrahan in London, Arash Massoudi in London and James Fontanella-Khan in New York — James Murdoch has been suggested …
Discussion:
Mediawire, New York Times, Business Insider, Variety, The Guardian, Deadline and Multichannel News
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Sources: 21st Century Fox is close to a deal with Walt Disney Co to sell its studio and TV production assets and it could come as early as next week — - Fox would sell movie and television production assets and keep its news, sports and broadcast network.
Discussion:
Financial Times, Variety, Reuters, Ubergizmo, Vanity Fair, Multichannel News, @ericjackson, The Wrap, Business Insider, The Hill, Bloomberg, Home Media Magazine, @michaeldavsmith, @corkgaines, @frankthetank111, @mayornhl, Forbes, @jourdayen, @broximar, Adweek, @jbflint, @bergopolis and @minovskyarticle


YouTube says it's pulling support for Amazon Echo Show today, will cut access to YouTube on Amazon FireTV starting Jan. 1; Amazon stops selling new Nest devices — New Nest devices have mysteriously disappeared from Amazon — Three months ago, YouTube pulled its programming …
Discussion:
Variety, CNET, Engadget, @jank0, Ubergizmo, GeekWire, @acuconservative, @annemariebridy, @stevekovach, The Next Web, @thechrisferrell, @tonyromm, @pwayboy, @koush, Fast Company, Multichannel News, FierceCable, @joan_e, Business Insider, @jeffersongraham, @craigsilverman, Tubefilter, @backlon, Gizmodo, ZDNet and Axios, more at Techmeme »


Sources: Ziff Davis bought Mashable for less than $50M; source: about 50 people will likely be laid off and founder Pete Cashmore will stay at the company — Founder Pete Cashmore is staying. — Mashable, once a fast-growing digital publisher with big ambitions, has been sold at a fire sale price.


Contributing writers to publications including Mashable, Inc, Business Insider, and Fast Co say they accepted payments in exchange for promoting companies — An Outline investigation found that contributors to prominent publications have taken payments in exchange for positive coverage.
Discussion:
Melville House Books, @joelindsey, @beejoli, @jumonsmapes, @schwindter, @pecunium, @weinbergrrrrr, @terryglavin, @atbwebb, @dannysullivan, @joshuatopolsky, @joshtpm, @danaditomaso, @kemc, @cebsilver, @xmasape, @erinbiba, @fmanjoo, @benjihyam, @starfire2258, @brianbeutler, @evaholland, @hels, @davidfolkenflik, @alexlaughs, @adrjeffries and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »


Gannett chief content officer and USA Today editor-in-chief Joanne Lipman is stepping down at the end of the year to focus on her upcoming book about gender gap — Joanne Lipman, who helped Gannett through its rebranding as the USA TODAY NETWORK, is stepping down as Chief Content Officer …
Discussion:
@aidspol, @ombudsman and @daviduberti


Cinemark, third-largest theater chain in US, announces $9/month subscription service offering one ticket/month plus a 20% food discount, to respond to MoviePass — The subscription service, which aims to boost theater attendance, gives customers discounts on tickets and concessions.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Business Wire, Gizmodo, IndieWire, The Verge, Home Media Magazine and Deadline


Former Charlie Rose producer and black journalist Rebecca Carroll remembers the show's work environment in the late 1990s as toxic and degrading — As one powerful man after another faces allegations of sexual misconduct, we're still not talking about the ramifications for black women.
Discussion:
The Wrap, www.wnyc.org, @ka_marketplace, @lynellgeorge, @bencasselman, @stephherold, @rebeccakkatz, @tylercoates, @monaeltahawy, @schemaly, @kmcdonovgh, @gbahadur, @deggans and @itsmeadria


Magna: digital ad spend surpassed TV worldwide in 2017 for the first time, with digital taking $209B, 41% of the market, and TV taking $178B, 35% of the market — You knew it was coming. — We've been headed here for a while. But this was the year it actually happened: Advertisers spent more on digital than traditional TV.


Sources: daily email newsletter theSkimm is exploring a potential sale after being approached by an interested buyer — Daily email newsletter reaches more than 6 million subscribers, who are mostly women — TheSkimm, the daily news digest that has taken off with younger women …
Discussion:
@rafat and @jarroddicker


Profile: Armstrong Williams, who wants to buy the Washington City Paper, says he won't impose conservative views, but current and former staffers raise doubts — Armstrong Williams sat in his Capitol Hill office with a pistol on his hip and a plan for buying the Washington City Paper on his desk.
Discussion:
@shakestweetz, @wplyndarobinson, @maustermuhle, @joshtpm, @mrtimregan, @alecmacgillis, @jonbernhardt and @blakehounshell


Kremlin-backed Russian IRA operated dozens of Twitter accounts, part of the suspended 2,752 list, posing as local US news sources, amassing 500K+ followers — Twitter has suspended dozens of accounts masquerading as U.S. news sources that had more than 500,000 followers.
Discussion:
@eclecticbrotha, @moira, @barrettbrown_, @mollymckew, @agenthades, @selectedwisdom, @selina_y_wang and @jeffjohnroberts, more at Techmeme »
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YouTube says moderation team will have 10K+ people by end of 2018, up 25% according to sources, and pledges new ads approach to curb child exploitation problem
Discussion:
Stratechery, New York Times, YouTube Creator Blog, New York Magazine, Tubefilter, Adweek, Multichannel News, Axios, Fortune, @kevinroose, Gizmodo, Marketing Week, CNNMoney, @cwarzel, VentureBeat, Fast Company, Press Gazette, @jwherrman, @npralltech, The Guardian, @seldo, @katienotopoulos, @stratechery and @gabestein


Brian Ross' Michael Flynn error is one among several high-profile blunders over his career — In 2006, ace ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross went on the air with a big scoop: Pakistani officials, he reported, had arrested Matiur Rehman, an al-Qaeda explosives expert who kept an “official” list of terrorist recruits.
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